1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an interior trim article-mounting structure that is applied to the case where an interior trim article is disposed in a terminal end portion of a headliner in a vehicle equipped with a head protection airbag apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
As a supplemental occupant protection device, a head protection airbag apparatus that deploys an airbag downward of a roof side rail portion in a fashion of a curtain at the time of a side collision or a rollover is now mounted in many cases.
Japanese Patent No. 3485038 (“JP-B2-3485038”) discloses this type of a head protection airbag apparatus. The head protection airbag apparatus described in JP-B2-3485038 is constructed considering that an interior trim article, such as a room lamp or the like, is disposed on a periphery portion of a headliner. In an airbag apparatus disclosed in JP-B2-3485038, a clip that is inserted into a mount hole of a roof side rail inner panel from the compartment side of a terminal end portion of a headliner so as to fix an interior trim article thereto has an integrally formed claw for fall-apart prevention. Then, when the airbag inflates and deploys forcing open a terminal end portion of the headliner, the clip's claw engages with the mount hole of the terminal end portion of the headliner.
The structure for preventing an interior trim article from falling apart as shown in JP-B2-3485038 is useful. However, in a head protection airbag apparatus that deploys an airbag along front and rear seats, the inflator is often disposed in a middle portion (near an upper end portion of the center pillar), and there is a trend toward high powers of gas from the inflators. Considering these factors, a more reliable measure for preventing the scattering of an interior trim article is desired.